Powered Tonneau Retrofit Date TBD?

[EVentually]

I just read the "Why is the powered tonneau cover removed from production for R1T?" article and noticed:

We plan to re-introduce this feature later, but a date has not been set. For the foreseeable future, all R1Ts will be built with either a manual tonneau cover or no tonneau cover.

Is this dream effectively dead? Bummer. I've been holding out hope since I was essentially tricked into getting a similar truck without one from the shop in 2022. Wondering if anyone (particularly in the Seattle area) managed to get this added.

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[CharonPDX]

That is outdated. They have been building with tonneau for some time, and have been upgrading people's older tonneaus for a while.

If your truck has the physical tonneau button - on the bed rail at the back in the "rubber button" area as the tailgate drop button - then you can have the powered tonneau retrofit in by a service center. (In fact, if it has that button, yours probably *HAS* a tonneau, it's just disabled in software.)

If yours has *JUST* the tailgate drop button, I don't think you can get the powered tonneau retrofit.

See this thread for pictures of the two button types:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...owered-tonneau-cover-or-not-from-image.29587/

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I just read the "Why is the powered tonneau cover removed from production for R1T?" article and noticed:



Is this dream effectively dead? Bummer. I've been holding out hope since I was essentially tricked into getting a similar truck without one from the shop in 2022. Wondering if anyone (particularly in the Seattle area) managed to get this added.

How dare you bring up my single biggest piss off when my name finally got pulled for delivery.

I've been trying since early 2023 to get a PT retrofit rather than my manual tonneau, and every time I get the same run around
Rivian/SC "did you have one as part of your configuration?"

Me "yes, well sorta... you pulled it from my config and made me choose no tonneau or manual tonneau, and since manual tonneau (per the comms at the time) was the only one that could even potentially be retrofit with a PTC down the road, I had to go with the Manual"

Rivian/SC "Oh well, we are only doing ones that didn't come with a tonneau, but it was part of the delivered configurations"

Me "Can I pay to have one installed, in spite of all that, and it being pulled from my config"

Rivian/SC "No, but we plan to introduce it into the Gear Shop closer to the end of the year.... 2023....2024.... now 2025...."

Currently all signs are pointing to V2 tonneau being introduced into the Gear Shop toward the end of THIS year, but who knows.

One annoyance was another fellow Vancouverite managed to have one installed for 3200 cdn by the service shop last year, when i probed the SC on this, they said they weren't offering it any longer as they were working out the kinks... v1.5-v2.0.

It just sucks camping etc, and having to constantly store delicate panels off to the side while I deal with things within the bed of the truck.

I just want a V2... bring it already

 

[MountainBikeDude]

That is outdated. They have been building with tonneau for some time, and have been upgrading people's older tonneaus for a while.

If your truck has the physical tonneau button - on the bed rail at the back in the "rubber button" area as the tailgate drop button - then you can have the powered tonneau retrofit in by a service center. (In fact, if it has that button, yours probably *HAS* a tonneau, it's just disabled in software.)

If yours has *JUST* the tailgate drop button, I don't think you can get the powered tonneau retrofit.

See this thread for pictures of the two button types:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...owered-tonneau-cover-or-not-from-image.29587/

The PTC can be installed on any R1T produced to date. There was a time where they indicated that anyone buying a rivian without selecting either PTC or Manual TC would not have the rails included. That never actually happened.

A PTC retrofit involves some disassembly of the bed in order to add the tonneau cartridge, it also involves removal of the rear of the back seats to access the bolt connections, and the bed top trim is replaced due to the new button on the one side, but also the need to align the tonneau channel via the bolts under the trim.

Otherwise it's fairly plug and play and I have a feeling the system will automatically detect its presence and enable infotainment functionality of it. Altho, it may require some software unlock on a Rivian tech side of things, but I doubt it.

So, expect a V2.0 Tonneau to show up in the gear shop, with a high price (mostly due to the labour involved in install) and to qucikly sell out within a day like the tail gate bike pad did.

 

[pointless]

I was just arguing with Rivian about this last week. Currently getting escalated.

SC said we “just ran out of them” last month when I asked.

Last week, I submitted a service request via the app for a retrofit PTC for my Gen1 R1T Quad. They gave me a call back and said it couldn’t be done, unless it was on my order. I explained it was, until it wasn’t. I never paid for it as they pulled it from production before I got my VIN.

I explained that “some people on the forums” have gotten actual retrofits and that the SC said I could have purchased it recently but they were now out of stock.

Sigh…

Any users want to DM me who have actually PAID for received PTC retrofit?

 

[CharonPDX]

My PTC (August 2022 delivery, never serviced/updated the PTC) is finally starting to show some signs of issues. The app is regularly telling me it isn't shut when it clearly is. Even opening/closing it with the tailgate down, then closing the tailgate, a couple days later it will tell me it's open.

I'm waiting for V2 to be firmly available (or for me to be close to running out my bumper-to-bumper warranty, which still has ~20k miles/2 years on it) before asking for the warranty service, and hoping I get a V2 instead of the 1.5.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Facetiously, one might have better luck picking lottery numbers.

Realistically, most (if not all) of Rivian's eyes and minds are on R2 launch and ramp. Without income from a mass market product like that, all side endeavors can sit on the back shelf for a while. And among those, some are far more important than PTC retrofits. Like, service capacity. If you want one, talk to your local SC—some have had success with theirs (to the tune of $3k, and still not jam-proof).

Pragmatically, manual covers are less convenient and less sexy. But the only thing that can go wrong with them are those fragile spring loaded retaining pins, that no one in their right mind would have decided to make out of plastic (especially for a manual cover with retail price of $1800). And now it can't even be shipped to CA, where Rivian is HQ'ed and probably sells most of its cars to. Glad I got mine already.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I was just arguing with Rivian about this last week. Currently getting escalated.

SC said we “just ran out of them” last month when I asked.

Last week, I submitted a service request via the app for a retrofit PTC for my Gen1 R1T Quad. They gave me a call back and said it couldn’t be done, unless it was on my order. I explained it was, until it wasn’t. I never paid for it as they pulled it from production before I got my VIN.

I explained that “some people on the forums” have gotten actual retrofits and that the SC said I could have purchased it recently but they were now out of stock.

Sigh…

Any users want to DM me who have actually PAID for received PTC retrofit?

Hop aboard the s-0---0-n express.

I'm going to try and push this with my SC... My 180kWh pack was taken from me, at least give me the PTC FFS.

 

[solaskaze]

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Facetiously, one might have better luck picking lottery numbers.

Realistically, most (if not all) of Rivian's eyes and minds are on R2 launch and ramp. Without income from a mass market product like that, all side endeavors can sit on the back shelf for a while. And among those, some are far more important than PTC retrofits. Like, service capacity. If you want one, talk to your local SC—some have had success with theirs (to the tune of $3k, and still not jam-proof).

Pragmatically, manual covers are less convenient and less sexy. But the only thing that can go wrong with them are those fragile spring loaded retaining pins, that no one in their right mind would have decided to make out of plastic (especially for a manual cover with retail price of $1800). And now it can't even be shipped to CA, where Rivian is HQ'ed and probably sells most of its cars to. Glad I got mine already.

I would argue that this isn't resource intensive endeavor and is more a bit of a revenue stream for Rivian. There were thousands of R1T's produced without a PTC as part of their config, because Rivian removed it, even before they shipped them with the PTC as a "to be installed" after delivery. So they have an opportunity to generate SC revenue that isn't insignificant in my mind.

Also, they have the economy of scale on their side by retrofitting previously sold R1T's. They increase the volume of tonneau covers sold and installed, they decrease the cost of the unit overall.

 

[nsuglerio]

I was just arguing with Rivian about this last week. Currently getting escalated.

SC said we “just ran out of them” last month when I asked.

Last week, I submitted a service request via the app for a retrofit PTC for my Gen1 R1T Quad. They gave me a call back and said it couldn’t be done, unless it was on my order. I explained it was, until it wasn’t. I never paid for it as they pulled it from production before I got my VIN.

I explained that “some people on the forums” have gotten actual retrofits and that the SC said I could have purchased it recently but they were now out of stock.

Sigh…

Any users want to DM me who have actually PAID for received PTC retrofit?

Paid for a PTC after delivery. Didn't have the button and originally had an invoice for the v2 cover that rolls up then after install it was a 1.5 with the slats. I have a gen2. Waiting on the service center for a v2 roll-up version as I already had issues with the older version. They told me they expect the v2 to be ready in late aug-sept

 

[COdogman]

How dare you bring up my single biggest piss off when my name finally got pulled for delivery.

I've been trying since early 2023 to get a PT retrofit rather than my manual tonneau, and every time I get the same run around
Rivian/SC "did you have one as part of your configuration?"

Me "yes, well sorta... you pulled it from my config and made me choose no tonneau or manual tonneau, and since manual tonneau (per the comms at the time) was the only one that could even potentially be retrofit with a PTC down the road, I had to go with the Manual"

Rivian/SC "Oh well, we are only doing ones that didn't come with a tonneau, but it was part of the delivered configurations"

Me "Can I pay to have one installed, in spite of all that, and it being pulled from my config"

Rivian/SC "No, but we plan to introduce it into the Gear Shop closer to the end of the year.... 2023....2024.... now 2025...."

Currently all signs are pointing to V2 tonneau being introduced into the Gear Shop toward the end of THIS year, but who knows.

One annoyance was another fellow Vancouverite managed to have one installed for 3200 cdn by the service shop last year, when i probed the SC on this, they said they weren't offering it any longer as they were working out the kinks... v1.5-v2.0.

It just sucks camping etc, and having to constantly store delicate panels off to the side while I deal with things within the bed of the truck.

I just want a V2... bring it already

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Paid for a PTC after delivery. Didn't have the button and originally had an invoice for the v2 cover that rolls up then after install it was a 1.5 with the slats. I have a gen2. Waiting on the service center for a v2 roll-up version as I already had issues with the older version. They told me they expect the v2 to be ready in late aug-sept

What was the cost?

 

[nsuglerio]

What was the cost?

Total was just over 2,400 because my truck didn't come with the button already and needed some additional trim pieces around the bed.

To get the lease offer I was told I had to pick an inventory truck and I was specifically told I can absolutely add the powered tonneau after delivery ( none of them had the cover ) and thats how I arranged my service visit to get it added after delivery.

I'm currently in holding because I technically paid for and at the time of getting the truck I wanted the v2 cover which I am now waiting for that so they can upgrade / put in the correct cover.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I would argue that this isn't resource intensive endeavor and is more a bit of a revenue stream for Rivian. There were thousands of R1T's produced without a PTC as part of their config, because Rivian removed it, even before they shipped them with the PTC as a "to be installed" after delivery. So they have an opportunity to generate SC revenue that isn't insignificant in my mind.

Also, they have the economy of scale on their side by retrofitting previously sold R1T's. They increase the volume of tonneau covers sold and installed, they decrease the cost of the unit overall.

I guess we're all entitled to our opinions/POV. But since we don't control how Rivian prioritize or allocate resources... I mean... does it matter what we think? They decide what orders to place from their suppliers and when. If retrofitting PTC was a hotter priority, they would've added it to the Gear Shop by now... how many years later? I am not making excuses for Rivian for not thinking the PTC issue is important. I'm just saying their actions (or inaction) suggest they feel there are things that are more important.

Besides, if any part or all of the PTC is manufacturered overseas... Need I say more?

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